Varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball works hard to achieve success

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With this years basketball season coming to an end, many people look at the final results of both the boys’ and girls’ Varsity teams and their coaches’ strategies for success. Both Head Coaches Ryan Carroll of the girls’ team and John Moffitt of the boys’ team have different strategies to achieve their goals.

“We have a regular routine that we do and some drills that are done pretty consistently,” said Carroll. “We try to mix in different drills to prepare for different opponents.”

Carroll’s team members take his strategies to heart, and carry them out thoroughly. Through over 14 years of coaching, he has had a lot of experience to prepare routines and work out plans for success.

“We play a lot of five on five and prepare for our next match up,” said senior Taryn Hendershot.

Moffitt has a different philosophy on coaching.

“You’ve got to teach what your expectations are for the kids,” said Moffitt. “Then it’s just repetition at a very high level.”

Moffitt has been a coach for nearly 20 years. He has been coaching in the Jackson area for 18.

He tries to simulate the feel of a game during practice to better prepare his team for matches. He believes personal control is critical to basketball, and players should be able to control their attitude, effort, and preparation during games. The Varsity boys practice with precision and endurance.

“[We do] conditioning, skills work, and game planning for our next game,” said senior Jake Maples.

The boys’ practices also consist of a lot of shooting, running, and basketball fundamentals. Depending on who their next match is, the boys will practice the skills needed to be successful against the upcoming game.

Even though the coaches have different techniques for practicing, they also share many similarities.

Members of both teams say they have grown as people, and learned many lessons from their coaches. Hendershot says being part of a this team has taught her leadership skills that are essential to the sport, but applicable to real life.

“[I’ve learned] how to work with others,” said Hendershot. “I try to lead by example.”

Maples says he has also learned leadership skills and the importance of hard work from his coach. He has also learned that it takes time and dedication to make a team work well together.

“[I’ve learned] how to work hard and if you want something you have to go get it,” said Maples. “I went from being just a young sophomore on Varsity to a senior captain.”

Both coaches are proud of their teams and the hard work they put in. Both enjoy spending time with their team.

“They are a great group and a lot of fun to be around,” said Carroll. “Spending so much time in the gym is easy when you are surrounded by good people.”

Moffitt has a similar message for his team.

“I think [the team] genuinely likes each other and they have good team chemistry. They give a good effort regardless of where we’re at with wins and losses,” said Moffitt.“I’m proud of that.”

Another thing both coaches have achieved is creating memories for their team to look back on. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams have enjoyed their time spent with teammates, on and off the court.

Hendershot says she has enjoyed meeting new people on the team and making friends with them. Maples has enjoyed his time on the court, and is proud of the victories the team has made.

The Varsity games are on most Fridays in the high school gym. Girls start at 6 p.m. and the boys start at 7:30 p.m.